Fili groaned as a loud knock pounded on his door, pulling him from sleep. He turned away from the sound covering his face with his pillow. The knocking stopped and was swiftly followed by the sound of the door opening.

The pillow was ripped off his head as Fili found himself suddenly staring up at his brother's face.

"This is a rarity indeed!" Kili grinned down at him "Generally you are the one dragging me from my bed in the morning. If you do not hurry Dwalin will have both of our heads for being late."

"Give me a moment." Fili grumbled, throwing back the covers before padding over to the wardrobe. Behind him he could hear Kili rifling through his room.

"It seems you had a busy night." Kili observed, looking at the half filled decanter and glass sitting on the desk "I am offended you did not invite me!"

Fili scoffed as he pulled his tunic over his head "I would not call one nightcap much of a party. I simply wished to quiet my mind for a bit."

"Something troubling you?"

He shrugged "A bit restless is all." He looked over and saw Kili was watching him closely, a devious grin on his face.

"Oh? So it would have nothing to do with the sudden return of a certain darrow?"

Fili stiffened slightly as he picked his swords off of the table. "Your imagination is getting the better of you dear brother." He said opening the chamber door motioning for Kili to follow.

Kili said nothing but instead gave him a knowing look as he followed his brother out the door and into the hall.

...

Fili stopped as he reached the stairs leading down to the large open air training ring, the distinct sound of metal scraping against metal reaching his ears. Below he could see Nimera and Dwalin, their blades locked together. The younger dwarf was fighting to keep on her feet as Dwalin's ax pushed against her sword, one of her leather gloved hands pressing on her blade in an attempt to push him back. He paused watching her for a moment. She was dressed in her rangers clothes once more, the sleeves of her fraying tunic rolled up to her elbows.

There was a loud clang as the two broke apart. Fili felt heat creep into his cheeks as Nimera sunk her sword into the grass, reaching for the hem of her shirt wiping the sweat from her brow, exposing a small swath of her stomach.

"Beautiful sight is it not?" Kili sighed as he came up beside him.

Fili snapped his head towards his brother. "What.. No I was just…" He stopped as he noticed that Kili was starting off into the horizon rather than down into the ring below.

"It is one thing I miss about being in the wild- the sunrises." He said wistfully, looking over at Fili "What is wrong with…" Kili paused glancing down, catching sight of Nimera, a grin beginning to creep across his face. He cupped a hand to his mouth. "Good Morning!" He shouted, waving his free hand.

Nimera looked up and waved in return. Kili hustled down the steps to the ring, dragging Fili behind him.

"Good morning!" Nimera smiled brightly as they reached the ring "I am surprised to see the two of you up this early. Neither of you have ever been early risers."

"Aye." Kili grinned "However Thorin had us up at dawn almost every day on our journey and it has become routine for us now."

"Will I still see you this afternoon?" She asked, pulling her sword from the ground. As she did her sleeves pulled up higher, revealing the end of three parallel pink scars that cut up the end of her forearm before disappearing under the rolled up fabric. Fili frowned slightly as his eyes drifted over the marks.

"Of course!" Kili laughed "Someone must rescue you from mother."

Nimera laughed as well "I hardly think I need rescuing from your mother."

Kili shook his head "You say that now but after a few hours of her picking out every last detail down to the button and trim you will change your mind. She spent hours picking out a single tunic for Fili for Durin's day last year."

"Mahal that was a nightmare." Fili groaned at the memory

"Well then I look forward to the arrival of my saviors." Nimera said with a wink.

"Aye you should be getting a move on if you are going to be on time to meet Dis." Dwalin nodded, hefting his ax onto his shoulder "Plus I have to whip these sorry lads into shape."

"Looks like I might not be the one who will end up needing saving!" Nimera laughed before turning on her heels, disappearing through the back passage with a wave.

…

Nimera had just finished changing back into her dress when she heard Dis's voice in the hall

"Just a moment!" Nimera called smoothing out the front of the dress before stepping out into the main room.

"Ah are you ready?" Dis asked, taking her arm and bustling her out the door. "I am hoping Ophila has something already made that can fit you." She said looking over the creased dress "That way you will have something fresh to tour the mountain in."

Nimera laughed "Fresh? This dress is a day old! in the wild I was lucky to have a clean shirt every week."

"Yes but you are no longer in the wild, you are a lady!"

"A Lady!" Nimera laughed again "I am hardly nobility."

Dis raised an eyebrow "You are the ward of the Lord advisor to the king and the Lord commander of this mountain, you may not have been one before but you are now Lady."

Nimera paused mid step

Dis turned to look at her "Surely you must have realized this before now!"

Nimera gave her a sheepish look "I suppose I never thought about it….Oh Mahal a Lady!"

Dis took her arm leading her forward. "Which is why you are going to have to look the part!" She said, abruptly steering her into a large shop.

"Lady Dis it is wonderful to see you!" An older darrow called emerging from the back of the shop "I am afraid the alterations to your dress are not quite finished yet."

Dis simply waved her hand "Oh I am not here for me," she said pulling Nimera in front of her "This is Lady Nimera. She has recently returned from her travels and needs a full wardrobe made."

Nimera coughed bringing Dis close "Perhaps not a full wardrobe, I can get by with a few new tunics and skirts. Being a ranger was not exactly a lucrative trade."

Dis waved her hand dismissively "You need not worry about such things. Balin told me to get whatever you would want and they will take care of it."

Nimera shook her head "That is far too much."

Dis laughed "those two have a thirteenth shar of a dragon's hoard each. I think they can afford a few dresses."

Nimera sighed "I cannot argue with that."

Ophila looked at Nimera over the rim of her half moon spectacles "Now what will you be wanting?"

She thought for a moment "Some new tunics and skirts. One or two pairs of trousers, and a winter coat."

"She will also need a few dresses. At least 2 formal and the rest for everyday use. And two pairs of gloves to go with them" Dis added "I was hoping you had something already finished she could wear this afternoon. My sons are touring her through the mountain."

Ophila took out a weathered tape measure jotting down measurements in a small book as she went. "I might have one or two things that could fit her." The old dwarf disappeared into the depths of the shop

"Ophila is simply the best." Dis said "She will make sure you look absolutely stunning."

"I will admit it will be nice to be in clean cloths again." Nimera sighed

Ophila returned with a large pile of fabric in her arms "I could only find one set in your size," she said apologetically "But I can have most of your things ready soon."

The seamstress led Nimera back behind a screen. "Here try this on." She said showing Nimera the clothing in her arms, a long copper colored skirt with a cream colored blouse that hung around her shoulders and a black bodice covered in brown and copper embroidery.

Nimera undressed laying Dis's dress over the top of the screen as Ophila passed her the skirt and blouse then finally the bodice.

"How does it look?" Nimera asked, stepping out from behind the screen as she finished tying off the stings to the bodice. The two older darrows inspected her for a moment

"Very striking." Ophila nodded approvingly

"I agree." Dis smiled "You are surely going to be the talk of the mountain."

The old seamstress began pulling out rows of fabric bolts "Now then my dear you have some decisions to make."

….

Kili laid on the floor of his bedroom trying to rest his aching joints. He cracked an eye open as he felt Fili nudge him with his boot "We should go and find Nimera soon."

"Just let me lie here for a moment longer." He groaned

"You would not be so sore if you put in extra practice outside of sparing with Dwalin." Fili said, offering him a hand.

Kili looked affronted as he took it, hauling himself from the floor "I do plenty of extra training with Gimli!"

Fili snorted "I have seen your training with Gimli. It is about a half hour of training that eventually devolves into a trip to the nearest tavern."

Kili grinned sheepishly as they made their way through the corridor and out into the main hall

"The Khayam Undül is coming up fast." Fili shook his head "Do not complain to me when you lose."

Kili slung an arm around his shoulders "Why would I even bother training when the greatest swordsman in all of Erebor is just going to win anyway. My time is better spent training elsewhere."

"You should still prepare." Fili countered "Anyone could win."

"Such modesty, how very gallant of you."

As they reached the shop Fili paused inside the entrance catching sight of his mother and Ophila. His eyes drifted further back as a familiar laugh reached his ears. Nimera was looking at a few small bolts of fabric, she laughed again running her fingers along the material.

As they came closer she turned to look at them "You are early!"

Kili nodded "Dawlin had to leave for a meeting so we ended earlier than expected ." He paused looking her over "I see Ophila was able to find you something. Very fetching indeed!"

"Are you finished or do you require more time?" Fili asked looking between Dis and Nimera

"We are almost finished." Dis nodded "Just a few more selections."

"What do you think?" Nimera asked, turning to him

Before he could answer Dis grabbed him by the arm. "Well you certainly cannot give the girl a good answer from all the way back there." She said, pulling him until he was standing in front of Nimera.

"Sorry… what was your question?" He sputtered

"Oh the color, which do you like better? Your mother and I are at an indecision." Nimera smiled brightly as the seamstress held up two different swatches of fabric up for him to see.

Fili found his eyes drifting from the fabric bolts over to Nimera's face "The blue." He said without thinking "It brings out the lovely color in your eyes."

Nimera flushed slightly, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Well.. I mean that is to say blue is always a good strong choice."

She nodded slowly "Aye... that it is."

They both looked away, missing the look that passed between Kili and Dis.

"I will have some of these ready by the weeks end." The seamstress broke in "The others will be ready in about another week."

"Thank you." Nimera nodded. She turned to Kili and Fili "Are you both ready?"

"We are at your disposal my lady." Kili grinned with a dramatic bow.

Nimera arched an eyebrow "Oh well then my liege do lead on."

….

"And here we have another hall." Kili said gesturing to the passage around them

Nimera rolled her eyes "I was not expecting quite such an informative tour. Your knowledge is truly astonishing."

"We are getting to the good part." Kili wagged his finger as he led her to a large set of wooden doors "And here is the royal overlook."

Nimera squinted as her eyes adjusted to the sudden stream of daylight as she stepped onto the balcony. "It's beautiful!" She said leaning out over the railing looking over the valley below.

"It was one of the first places we found after we reclaimed the mountain." Fili said, coming to stand beside her, gazing out over the landscape seemingly lost in thought.

She watched him for a moment, his golden hair gently fluttering in the breeze. He seemed older then she remembered, her eyes drifting to the small lines beginning to etch their way across his brow. As she studied his face she noticed a long scar running down the side of his neck.

"What is this from?" Nimera asked as she reached a hand out, her fingers brushing the scar.

Fili stiffened slightly at her touch "It is from the battle for the mountain."

"How did it happen?" She asked, pulling her hand away.

Fili was quite for a moment, his hand reaching up to touch the scar

"During the battle Thorin faced down the pale orc. Fili and I went to help him. The battle was won but we were all gravely wounded. If not for the presence of Gandalf and Thranduil we would have been lost." Kili explained, lifting up the hem of his shirt revealing a long thick scar wrapping around the side of his chest

He looked over when Nimera did not respond. She stared at the scar intently, a strange expression passing over her face. "Nim are you alright?"

She shook her head " Balin's letter spoke of the battle, however…. I did not realize how close I was to losing you both. I should have been there, I could have helped… I.." She stopped as Fili put a hand on her shoulder

"Nimera we are all here and well." He said watching her closely.

"I...I know." She sighed

"What of you?" Fili asked

"What about me?" Nimera frowned slightly

"Those scars on your arm. Not many can say they have survived a warg attack." Fili said gesturing to her left arm

"Warg attack!" Kili exclaimed "what is he talking about!"

With a sigh Nimera pushed up her sleeve exposing the beginning of the scars.

Kili grabbed her arm, holding it close as he examined it. "How far does this go?" He asked

"From my forearm up to here." She said drawing an invisible line up her arm to her bicep, pulling the edge of her blouse down slightly exposing the end of the scars.

"How did it happen?" Fili asked as he looked closer

"When I was in Gondor we were sent to scout an orc pack that had been seen crossing the river. When we arrived on the bank we were ambushed by orcs. During the fight I was blindsided by a warg. By the time I turned to defend myself it was too late. Luckily Erron came to my aid and pulled me to safety." Nimera shook her head "I was lucky it did not cut deeper."

"Mahal!" Kili groaned "Your stories are going to turn my hair gray!"

"Speaking of which," Fili looked over at Nimera "You arranged to meet with Oin soon, did you not?"

She nodded "Thank you, I had nearly forgotten."

"Of course." He grinned offering her his arm "I am so used to having to keep Kili on schedule it has become second nature."

…

The trio stopped as they reached the large stone archway leading to the healing wing. Nimera's eyebrows rose slightly as they made their way inside

"I was not expecting it to be quite so large." She said looking around the hall.

"There are many dwarves in Erebor." Fili shrugged "Though it is rarely full. Most of these rooms are used for storage." He said gesturing to a few doors offset from the main hall.

"I do not see Oin." Kili said as he looked around at the few healers working in the room.

"He could be back in one of the workshops." Fili guessed "Excuse me.." he said, catching the attention of a passing healer.

The woman stopped at his call looking over at them in surprise. She gave a short bow "Prince Fili, Prince Kili. Are you in need of care?" She asked looking the two over

Kili shook his head "Not this time. We are looking for Oin." He pulled Nimera in front of him "Nimera here is to meet with him this afternoon."

The healer regarded her with a scrutinizing look. Though she seemed to be only a decade or two older than Nimera, she carried herself with the confidence of a much older dwarf. "You are the new healer that is assisting Master Oin then?"

Nimera nodded, bowing slightly "Nimera at your service."

The woman bowed back. "Risti at yours and your families." She looked Nimera over again "I must admit you are not quite what I was expecting. Though it will be nice to have to have someone new around." She leaned in conspiratorially "Everyone around here is such a bore."

Nimera laughed "I will try not to disappoint."

Risti nodded "Master Oin is back in his study." She said pointing to one of the back passages

"Thank you Risti." She smiled "I hope I will see you again soon."

The older dwarf cracked a smile "I look forward to it."

As they reached the door Nimera rapped lightly on the wood "Master Oin?"

There was no answer

Kili nudged her aside. "No you need to do it like this. Oin!" He shouted as his fist banged on the door.

There was the sound of movement inside and the door was pulled open.

"Ah I thought I heard someone at the door!" Oin nodded, ushering them into the large study "I take it your tour was informative?" He asked looking at Nimera

She nodded "very much so."

He clapped his hands together "Good, good." He nodded stepping towards the door motion for them to follow. "I had one of the studies cleared last night." He said stopping in front of a weathered door "Give you a place to store your work." He pushed open the door to a small darkened room, the light from the passage revealing a small desk and chair with long rows of wooden shelves lining the walls.

"Thank you Master Oin." Nimera bowed

Oin waved a hand "You can move your things in as you please. I can see if any of the other healers are free to help you."

She shook her head, casting a sly look over at Kili and Fili "That will not be necessary. I have two helpers already."

"Now hold on!" Kili frowned "I do not recall signing on to be your butler."

Nimera arched an eyebrow "Oh? I seem to recall someone saying they were at my disposal."

Fili nodded beside her "Aye I heard that as well!"

Kili frowned at him "Why are you encouraging her!"

"Come along, the day is wasting away!" Nimera called from the doorway.

Fili shrugged, clapping him on the shoulder as he followed after her "A little hard work will do you good."